Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-04-27
DAILY HERALD.
SEWERAGE.
A Conference with Col.
Waring.
THE FLUSH TANK QUESTION.
The Committee Decides to Pay the
sum Asked for the COlonel's
Advice.

AS stated III tuc liEhaLD yeS'Sioss
morning there was meeting between
Colonel George +. Waripg and specia
committee of the City Council in refer
ence to tho sewer question, which il
becoming very prominent. Colone
Waripg went to Santa Aua yesterday
morning and returned in the afternoon
arriving in the city at a o'clock. HI
then proceeded to the City Hall, where
be met Mayor Workman, and Council
men Breed, Lowell and Perry. and City
Engineer Eaton. The chairman of thu
Sewer Committee being absent, Mr.
Perry wos selected to presida, and
Colonel Waring was asked by Mayor
Work man to talk to the committee
Colonel Waripg said that he was per-
fectly willing to talk if he was Informed
in what line bis remarks were to be
directed.
Mayor Workman asked IL he could
give any advice as to the seweroge here,
and Colonel Waring replied that at pres.
ent he was unable 10 do so, as he was
not familiar with the city, not having
done more than drive about for q short
time. To give an intelligent opinion on
the matter would require good deal of
examination and study, which he had
not had time to do.
Mayor Workman then said that the
Committee would like to hear him tell
of his experience in sewerage and en-
.gineering matters.
Colonel Waring said that his first ex-
perience was in 1854, when he was en-
ployed in agriculiu al draining engineer
ing He had been employed in this line
until 1857, when he was appointed
Draining Engineer of Central Park, New
York, which position he retained until
the war broke out. During the war he
had served as an officer, and in 1867 he
was called to Ogdensburg to devise
system and make plans for the sewerage
of that city. Since that time he had
been kept busy in sewering Memphis,
Norfalk and other cities.
Mayor Workman asked how he had
come to 60 10 Memphis.
Col. Waring said that after the yellow
fever in 1879, he had gone there as an
expert to assist in determining what
should be done for the health of that
city in the way of sewerage. He found
that they had no system of sewerage 10
amount to anything. and the one that
was proposed was far beyond their
power to carry cut. He then sketched
out plan which was adopted, and un-
der his supervision twenty miles OF sew.
ers were built, and since then twenty
miles more had been added on the same
plan which had proven very successful.
At present the system had been in op-
Grafton seven years. During that time
the city had grown from one Of 30. 600
inhabitants TO one of 10000.
SEWERAGE OF MEMPHIS.
In reply to questions by the members
OF the Committee, Col. Waring said that
since 1879 Memphis had not been
troubled with yellow fever, nor had the
valley for that matter, but in his opin-
ion that did not make much difference.
The general health of the city was what
be considered cf great Importance, and
since then it has been good deal better.
Memphis had q good government, he
thought, and it enforced its ordinances
to connections with the sewers
and 10 the closing up OF cesspools. Still,
there is portion of the city which is
so situated that it cannot be severed
without q great deal of expense, and he
had been urging the city to take care Of
it bu. he thought they seemed to think
more of paving their streets with gran
ite blocks, so that they can haul cotton
more cheaply, sthan they do OF their
health. He did not suppose any steps
would be taken to remove this nuisance
ii usil another epidemic appeared.
Mayor Workman asked Col. Waring
whether his fush tank was patented,
and the Colonel replied that he had no
fl ilsh tank, but the one he was using was
invented by an Englishman named
Rogers Peel, who had patented it in this
country. There were large number OF
automatic flush tanks and all were pat
ented except one, and that was much
more expensive than the 9TH
ers. It cost on an average about
$45 or $50 to put in flush tanks
and to give an idea of what the cost OF
tanks was in proportion to the whole
system, he said that in San Diego he will
put in ll6 to cost about $4,000, and the
total cost of the system there will be
about $500
AT SAN DIEGO
The sewerage matter will be discharged
when the tide is going down so that it
NAV be carried out as far at sea as posi-
BILE. Before the tide is entirely down
The gates will be closed SO that what
returns will be but email amount when
CON. pared to the whole. The fall in San
Diego will be about one in 700, while at
Memphis it was one in 600. In sewer
ing Norfolk harder problem had to be
solved in order to deliver the matter
we'll. 1t was finally arranged SO that It
is carried into we'll sixteen feet below
high tide from whence it is expelled by
steam pumps. 1t was also found impos,
sible to'lay more of the pipes on accou Mt
of auickssnd, but this was finally accom-
plished. During the laying of the pipes
one of them broke and during night
water ran through. When it was
repaired some thirty tons of sand
was taken out and this had gone
through the siphon without obstructine
it.
Mayor Workman asked IT there had
not been some trouble with the tanks at
Memphis, aud Col. Waring replied thai
at first the tanks were filled with water
from the river, which ran through small
pipes very slowly. The water bsine
muddy and the pipes small, the sedi'
ment deposited obstructed the passag,
of tho water, but these small pipes hat
been taken out and replaced by one inch
pipes, which are blown out occasioniy,
but the fact that these supply pipes
were small has nothing to do with th'
system.
In reply to questions as to WHIT b
thought about sewering this city,. h
said that SO far as he had observer, tner
were certain portions where it woul
not be difficult but in the lower parts o
the CITY the matter would not be st
easy 10 dispose of. If there j
as stated by the City Engineer, fall
twentv two feet to the mile, then tn